A pilot has been hailed as a hero for successfully landing an aircraft after it was seized by a passenger mid-flight.
On Thursday, as Tropic Air Belize flew from the small town of Corozal near the Mexican border to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye Island in Belize, a passenger attacked the pilot and two other individuals aboard with a knife.
A total of 14 passengers and two crew members were onboard when the incident unfolded.
Belize’s police commissioner, Chester Williams, named the hijacker as Akinyela Sawa Taylor.
He said shortly after 8.40am local time, Taylor grabbed Howell Grange, the pilot, and two passengers and stabbed them while the plane was in the air.
One of the injured passengers, Fitzgerald Brown, 60, then took out a handgun and shot Taylor in the chest.
During the incident, the plane was spotted circling in the air erratically for just under two hours, prompting a police helicopter to track it.
It later landed at the Philip SW Goldson International Airport in Belize City, where the passengers and pilot were taken to hospital.
Upon arrival, Brown surrendered his weapon to law enforcement. It was reported that the second hurt traveler was identified regionally as Jair Castañeda.
Grange is still critically injured at the hospital following a stabbing that pierced his back and caused a collapsed lung. Taylor was declared deceased upon arrival at the medical facility.
Photos captured at the location depicted an injured passenger enveloped in blood-stained dressings.
Taylor, who is 49 years old, has reportedly been recognized as part of the US military by the Belize police; however, this claim hasn’t been verified by American authorities.
Maximillian Greif, who leads Tropic Air Belize as their CEO, stated that the pilot encountered 'unfathomable pressure' but demonstrated 'remarkable bravery and composure' during the landing of the aircraft.
The US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce expressed her gratitude that the incident did not become a mass casualty event.
Williams mentioned that Taylor expressed his desire to leave the country. It has come to light that he tried to enter Belize over the weekend but was denied entry and entered unlawfully instead.
He further stated that Taylor stabbed his victims as a way of 'sending a message' to the other people aboard.
When questioned about safety measures, Williams mentioned that Corozal Municipal Airport did not have metal detectors installed. He stated that talks were underway to enhance security protocols.
The Belize Airports Authority has announced plans to introduce baggage inspections and scanning systems at local airstrips, aligning them with the protocols used at major international airports.
has reached out to the US State Department for clarification.
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